Apollo Creed
Apollo Creed (August 17, 1942 - August 31, 1985) is a tough agile heavyweight boxer and former Heavyweight Champion that starts out as an antagonist, followed by transitioning into a deuteragonist in the Rocky Franchise. Creed is presented as the undisputed heavyweight world champion in Rocky, he was undefeated and had cleared out his division of challengers prior to his fight with Rocky Balboa, following his split-decision victory over Rocky, Creed challenges Rocky to a rematch in Rocky II, which he loses, losing his world championship and suffering his first career loss. Creed retires after this fight, but he returns to train his former foe, Balboa, in Rocky III following Rocky's loss to Clubber Lang. Creed and Balboa bond over this time, becoming close friends. In Rocky IV, Creed decides to make a one-off return to the ring to fight a Soviet Union boxer by the name of Ivan Drago. The fight is billed as an exhibition, but unfortunately, Creed is knocked unconscious in the second round, resulting in his death Biography 'Early Life' Apollo Creed was born on August 17th, 1942 in Los Angeles County, California, there isn't much information regarding Creed's childhood, but based off Creed's bright intelligence, it is assumed that he had a good education and that his family was middle class. Creed began boxing in 1968 at the age of 26, it is revealed in the video game Rocky Legends that one of Creed's earlier fights was against Tony "Duke" Evers, who at this time was an aging boxer. At the end of the fight, Creed approached Duke and mentioned how it would be good to have an experienced fighter managing his career and training him, Happy to be able to continue in boxing, Duke accepted the offer as manager and began training him at the Delphi Boxing Academy. In the coming years, Creed met and married Mary Anne, they had two children together, an unnamed daughter and unnamed son. It is revealed in Creed that Apollo had an adulterous affair. The time of the fling was not exactly revealed, but it was assumed to be late 1984 or early 1985. Apollo died before seeing the birth of his third child, and a posthumous baby boy was born, named Adonis Johnson Creed. ''Rocky 'Discovering Rocky Balboa' Apollo Creed first appears as a charismatic, intelligent, and undefeated 34-year-old World Heavyweight Champion. A planned Bicentennial fight against number one contender Mac Lee Green was scheduled for January 1, 1976, which Apollo gladly hypes whenever someone places a microphone in front of him. However, Green hurts his left hand in training and the other top ranked contenders, such as Ernie Roman, Buddy Shaw, are either busy or don't believe that they can get into shape in time. Duke suggested he should fight Big Chuck Smith or Billy Snow, but Creed thought Smith was too dull, and Snow fouled too much. Unwilling to waste the time, effort and money he's already invested in the fight, Creed comes up with a promotion that will generate huge publicity; he will offer an unknown local fighter an opportunity to battle Creed for the title, in a match in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Upon reviewing the local boxers in Philadelphia, Creed is drawn to a club fighter named Rocky Balboa because Balboa is Italian and has a catchy nickname, "The Italian Stallion". Apollo also explains his choice by saying: "''Who discovered America? An Italian, right? What better way to celebrate its 200th birthday than to get it on with one of his descendants?". Duke warns Apollo against facing Balboa since he fights left-handed, but Apollo brushes off the idea that he could be anything resembling a legitimate threat, pledging to knock him out in three rounds. Duke raises concern again when he sees Balboa in a television interview, training by punching sides of beef in a meat packing plant - breaking the ribs - however, Apollo puts more effort into giving everyone a good show rather than training for the bout. Duke warns Creed that it appears Rocky "means business", showing he is serious about the forthcoming fight, but the warning is brushed aside by Apollo, who remarks "yeah, so do I", then returns to shop talk of set decoration for the fight. 'Creed vs. Balboa' For the fight, Apollo dresses up like both George Washington and Uncle Sam in the pre-fight festivities (with his matching trademark "stars and stripes" boxing shorts) is in a jovial mood until Rocky knocks him down in the first round with a single uppercut; the first knock down Creed had ever suffered. He then endures a grueling 15-round fight with Balboa, who manages to get to his feet after Creed takes him down with an uppercut in the 14th round in what appears to be the end of the match. This was the first time anyone had ever taken the champion the full 15 rounds. Both fighters are beaten, bloodied, and bruised by the end of the bout - Rocky with severe eye damage and Apollo with internal bleeding, caused by broken ribs. Apollo gains a controversial split decision victory, and neither fighter wants a rematch. ''Rocky II '' 'Challenging Rocky Balboa' Creed is first seen in the ER alongside Rocky and a flurry of press, Creed, going against his earlier stance, denounces the fight as a fluke and challenges Rocky to finish the fight right there, which nearly happens when both men get out of their wheelchairs and look ready to brawl, only to be restrained by hospital employees. Later, when everything has calmed down and he is alone, Rocky walks to Creed's hospital bed. Balboa asks if Creed gave his all in the fight, and he wants the truth. Creed replies in the affirmative. Creed's desire for a rematch with Balboa intensifies when it becomes clear that the prevailing public opinion is that Creed had either gotten lucky, or the judges were fixed in his favour. Duke tries to pacify Apollo that it was he who won by decision. Creed remains frustrated by the feeling that he didn't truly 'beat' Balboa, and continues to be haunted by negative fan mail. Evers pleads with Creed to not fight Rocky again. His reason is that despite the horrific beating Rocky received from Creed, Balboa kept coming after him. Despite everyone imploring him not to press on, Creed is determined to correct his career's only blemish and ignores their advice. Rocky has married his girlfriend, Adrian, after recovering from the first fight, and is not keen on fighting again, especially given the disapproval of his doctor and Adrian. In the meantime, Rocky is having financial troubles. Although losing to Creed, Rocky was well rewarded. However, he squandered his purse on needed improvements to his life such as a house and a car, but also a nice jacket and watches for himself, Adrian and Paulie. Rocky hopes to capitalise on his newfound fame by shooting commercials, but this does not pan out. Rocky, still hoping to avoid fighting, attempts to get a professional job, but his lack of formal education limits his choices. Rocky decides he wants to fight again, but is discouraged by Mickey because of an injury to his eye in the first fight. It is not until Creed challenges Balboa to a second fight on Thanksgiving Day, 1976 using various humiliation tactics that Mickey decides to train Rocky for a second fight. Creed is far more serious at the press conference, assuring the press that he took the last fight lightly, but this time the world will see the best Apollo Creed, citing that he would "drop Balboa like a bad habit" and tells Rocky when he leaves "Come November, you're mine!" In a press interview during training, he also insists that Rocky "cannot last five minutes in the ring with a superior athlete like me!" Creed plows through sparring partners and trains harder than ever before, with the intention of punishing Balboa for the embarrassment eleven months earlier. 'Creed vs. Balboa II' Unlike their first fight, Creed dominates Balboa throughout the second fight, managing to thwart Rocky's strategy of fighting right-handed. Despite this, he is unable to make good on his promise of an early knockout victory, as Rocky absorbs his punches. By the final round, he is well ahead on points and Duke begs Apollo to go on the defensive, as he'll win if he makes it to the end of the match; Apollo refuses, desperate to knock Rocky out rather than win on points. Apollo endures a substantial beating in later rounds, when it becomes apparent he cannot knock Balboa out, and Balboa begins landing his own punches on the tiring Creed. At the beginning of the 15th round, he tells Rocky, "You're going down", to which Rocky replied, "No way". After going toe-to-toe for much of the final round, Creed is knocked down by a left from Balboa, with Balboa falling down in exhaustion as well. If neither got up, it would be a draw, keeping the title with Creed. Rocky is able to get up by the count of 9, but Creed is unable to pull himself up and is counted out, losing the match and the championship by knockout, his first professional loss. Apollo retires from boxing soon after. Even though he has lost, he gains his respect from the crowd back since it feels that he fought and lost in a fair fight. The fight also results in Creed finally acknowledging Balboa's ability as a fighter, rather than seeing him as a fluke. ''Rocky III 'Training Rocky Balboa' Apollo (39 years old) first appears at the first fight between James "Clubber" Lang, 23 years old, and Rocky Balboa, 34 years old, as a guest analyst, a match in which Lang defeats Rocky by KO in the second round. Before the match, the former champion Creed steps into the ring to greet the fighters. When he steps up to Lang, the latter slaps away Creed's hand and mockingly and rudely insists that he "''don't want no has-been in my corner". He further says, "You want to jump, Creed? Jump." When Creed walks away stunned at this rude display from the belligerent challenger, Lang laughs at him and calls him a "chicken". Creed then wishes Rocky luck, telling him to 'give everyone a present' and knock out Lang. Following the match, Rocky's beloved manager Mickey dies. Determined in part to put the disrespectful brute in his place, Creed finds Rocky at Mickey's gym and they agree to have Apollo take over as Balboa’s manager. The pair travels to the 'Tough Gym' in Los Angeles, California where Creed used to train in preparation for a rematch with Balboa. Creed encourages Rocky not to ignore the naysayers that say he is too old, but instead refocus himself. During this talk, he states, "Now when we fought.. you had that eye of the tiger." Creed tells Balboa that he will help him get it back. Creed mentions that Rocky will owe him "a big favour" once he wins, which he does not specify at first. Rocky's training is geared toward making him quicker and more agile, to counter the larger, stronger brawler. Apollo teaches Rocky how to fight like himself. Rocky has trouble concentrating during his training, suffering from guilt over Mickey's demise and self-doubt. Adrian helps Rocky recognize this as a simple fear of losing again and convinces him that he can't let fear control his life and that he has to fight again, not to prove a point, but to live without fear. Rocky agrees and begins to put his fear aside. Creed helps Rocky rediscover the fire inside, which he had lost in the time leading up to the Lang fight, that had won him the title. Creed calls this fire the "eye of the tiger". Before the match begins, Creed expresses his confidence that Rocky will win. He gives Rocky his signature "colours" (Apollo's stars and stripes boxing trunks) to wear during the fight (and tells him to wash them afterwards). Rocky dominated the first round, but the second round is to Clubber's favour with Rocky barely landing any punches. Between the second and third rounds, Creed shouts at Rocky not to test Lang, but Rocky protests he knows what he is doing with the "rope-a-dope". During the third round, Lang is weakened from wasting all his strong punches on Rocky and is knocked out. Rocky wins the rematch and regains his title as Heavyweight Champion. 'Third Fight against Balboa' Throughout the training, Creed repeatedly told Rocky, "Remember, when this is over, you owe me a favour", but left it at that. After defeating Clubber Lang, Creed reveals the cost of his training - a second rematch with Rocky. However, this fight is not a bloody battle in an arena, but a friendly sparring match at Mickey's Gym. Rocky happily accepts the challenge. The film ends showing each boxer hitting the other at the same time, symbolising the equality of their greatness. Rumours of the third fight would persist for decades afterwards, but the outcome was apparently not known to anyone but the two fighters until 2015, when, asked by Adonis Johnson Creed (Apollo's son), Rocky confided that Apollo had won. ''Rocky IV 'Challenging Soviet Union Boxer Ivan Drago In 1985, Apollo (43 years old) comes out of a five-year retirement to fight mammoth Soviet Olympic boxer Ivan Drago, who had come to the United States on behalf of the Soviet Union to enter the world of professional boxing. Not wanting the Soviets to appear superior to American fighters, and searching for a return to the limelight and the adoration of the public, the patriotic Apollo challenges Drago to an exhibition match, and calls out Drago at the press conference that sets up their exhibition bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 31, 1985. Highlighted by a pre-match rendition of "Living in America" by James Brown, Apollo enters the arena from a descending scaffold overhead, dancing to the music in his old red, white, and blue Uncle Sam outfit. With Rocky, Duke and Paulie in his corner, Apollo was overly confident that he could dispense of Drago with ease. However, Apollo was not ready for the extreme size and strength of the Russian. After taunting the Russian and landing a number of ineffectual punches, Creed was pummelled badly in the first round. Rocky wanted to stop the fight but Apollo refused as Apollo told Rocky not to stop the fight "no matter what...no matter what!" '''Death By the start of the second round, Drago continued to pummel Creed with ease and Rocky again tries to stop the fight by throwing in the towel. Apollo told Rocky not to stop the fight, which gives Drago a chance to deliver a blow (as Rocky dropped the towel) that unfortunately killed Apollo, who died in Rocky's arms in the middle of the ring. Rocky then sets out to avenge Apollo's death by beating Drago in the Soviet Union with the Soviet premier and the Politburo looking on. He succeeds as the film ends with Rocky Balboa winning the fight by knockout in the last round. Rocky Balboa 'Legacy' In 2006 (Rocky Balboa), Rocky is seen paying tribute to Apollo by telling customers at his restaurant stories about his friendship and fights with him. During the commentary before the Rocky vs Mason Dixon fight, a montage of Rocky's opponents was shown which included his two fights against Apollo. 'Creed' 'Illegitimate Son Adonis Johnson Creed' In 2016 (Creed), it has been revealed that Apollo had an affair sometime before his death, and from that, Adonis Johnson Creed was born. After his biological mother's death in the late '90s, Mary Anne Creed (Apollo's widow) adopts him. At a young age, not only does he possess the boxing skills of his father, but also his fiery temper. Years later, presumed to be a well-educated young man, Adonis leaves his job to pursue a full-time career in boxing. He first seeks tutelage from Duke's son, Little Duke, who runs the Delphi Boxing Academy, the gym that Apollo was trained at. Little Duke refuses to work with Adonis to ensure his safety. Adonis, to his mother's dismay, moves to Philadelphia to seek out Rocky Balboa. While meeting up at Adrian's, Rocky is surprised when Adonis mentions a third fight between him and Apollo that happened behind closed doors, presenting himself to be Apollo's son. Rocky compliments his father's boxing ability and reveals that Apollo won their third match. 'Adonis trains with Rocky Balboa' When the word got out that Adonis is Apollo's illegitimate son, the media heavily publicised the story of his infidelity, which catches the eye of the trainer for the reigning light-heavyweight champion, "Pretty" Ricky Conlan. Both parties would want the fight to happen, however, on the condition that Adonis would assume his actual name instead of his mother's last name, Johnson, to which he agrees, similar to Apollo's desire to select Rocky due to his nickname: "The Italian Stallion". Leading up to the fight, Rocky has been diagnosed with cancer, which greatly impacts Adonis' behaviour, including being incarcerated for the night after a brawl at a club. While Rocky visits him in jail, Adonis angrily blames him for his father's death, while Rocky tries to calm him down and understand Apollo, who isn't there to defend himself. After getting his mind straight, Adonis makes a pact with Rocky that they would both fight their respective battles together. In Liverpool, Adonis receives a gift from Mary Anne; boxing trunks that heavily resembles his father's trunks, who he passed to Rocky, who he passed to Tommy "The Machine" Gunn. The fight presents many parallels to Rocky and Apollo's original fight, with Adonis assuming his trainer's role. Conlan presents an unrelenting attack on Adonis, in which he knocks him down. After a less than stellar introductory round, Adonis finally manages a right hook strong enough to cut Conlan by surprise. In the eleventh round, after an intense flurry, Conlan manages a strong shot that seemingly knocked Adonis unconscious, however Adonis sees visions of his relationship with his girlfriend and Rocky's ailing composure, but finally wakes up after seeing a vision of his father in his prime, which baffles Conlan and the audience. 'Adonis lives up to the' Creed Legacy Before the final round, Rocky is adamant on stopping the fight to save Adonis from the long-term effects of his injuries, a decision he contemplated 30 years after Apollo's death. However, Adonis wants to continue to fight to prove that he is not "a mistake". After the revelation, Rocky tells Adonis that, though he's never had the chance to thank Apollo for stepping in when Mickey died, it does not match what he's done for him and that he loves him. In the closing seconds of the fight, Adonis finally unleashes a style that is comparable to his father's and Rocky's and manages to knock down Conlan for the first time in his career. A split decision determines Conlan the winner of the fight, and gives Adonis the ultimate respect, telling him that he's "the future of this division". During the post-fight interview, HBO Boxing analyst Max Kellerman asks Adonis what he would like to say to his father, to which Adonis tearfully says that he loves him and he knows he didn't leave him on purpose, in which he concludes the interview saying he's "proud to be a Creed". 'Creed II' Personality and Traits As Apollo Creed's fighting style is reminiscent of Muhammad Ali, so is his personality. Creed is charismatic, quick-witted, and a wisecracker, usually rhyming his words and insults like Ali. Creed was viewed as cocky, but confident, always trash talking his opponents with a smile and then outclassing them in the ring. Creed has every right to be overly-confident because of his perfect record. Creed is known for his quick wits, he is able to spin together a few words and insult his opponent. An example is when Ivan Drago doesn't answer a question and Creed says "The man's tongue didn't make it through customs!" Boxing Style Because the original film was released in 1976 during the reign of Muhammad Ali, it is reasonable to assume that, with Ali being considered the quintessential boxer by having defeated some of the best of the time, Creed was based largely on him, although his public image is more in the vein of Sugar Ray Leonard or Joe Louis. Like Ali, Apollo was an outside fighter, relying on his speed and power to get through fights. His jab-cross-hook combination were his mainstay, and also just like Ali, Creed's defence was heavily contingent upon his speed. Apollo used Ali's "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" philosophy, being able to bob and weave and frustrate his opponents. A notable difference was that though Creed had Ali's unorthodox hand positioning, he ducked, bobbed and weaved in the classic style, as opposed to Ali who preferred to move backwards, in contradiction to boxing's basic tenets, but with a delightful degree of success. Perhaps the reason for this was that only Ali could do be that unorthodox and look convincing; where most boxing instructors would tell you that you can't land a punch when you're retreating backwards, Ali did that too with alarming regularity. But just like Ali, Creed was susceptible to taking a lot of damage during fights because of the level at which he held his hands, a fact which ultimately proved to be his undoing. By the second film, he also has the bolo punch (wind up one fist and punch with the other) in his arsenal, which seems to be a result of the punch being used by then welterweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard. This punch, originated by Ceferino Garcia, a world middleweight champion hailing from Philippines, is a variation of the feint. One of the fists is winded up in rather spectacular fashion; the catch there is that the opponent may expect a punch from this hand or, sensing a trap, from the other. Whichever hand the opponent focuses on, the aggressor here may easily throw the other. This is more of a humiliating, crowd pleasing punch. A clear example was seen in the now famous no mas bout between welterweights Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto 'Hands of Stone' Duran. In Rocky a reporter asked him if it was a coincidence that he was fighting a white man on the most celebrated day in our country's history; to which Apollo replied, "I don't know about that. Is it a coincidence that he's fighting a black man on the most celebrated day in our country's history?" Professional Boxing Record Boxing Attires apollo i-1.png|Apollo using the American costume in the Superfight against Rocky Balboa, a bicentennial tribute, seen in Rocky. apollo ii-1.png|Apollo in The Superfight II, the rematch against Rocky Balboa using red and white colors seen in Rocky II. Apollo_iii-.jpg‎|Apollo using a green shorts for traing Rocky used for Rocky III Apollo_iii-2.jpg‎| Apollo Red trunks with a protector for the 3rd fight against Rocky apollo iv-1.png|Apollo using the American Costume in the first fight East Vs.West against Ivan Drago, the last fight of his carrer and his life, seen in Rocky IV. In this battle Apollo dies. Accomplishments Heavyweight Champion (1 time, 1972-1979) (defeated Floyd McCallum, lost to Rocky Balboa) Quotes * "Apollo Creed fights the Italian Stallion. HA! sounds like a damn monster movie." '- Apollo Creed. * '"I WANT YOU!" - Apollo Creed to Ivan Drago * "I will end him like a bad habit" - Apollo Creed in reference to Rocky Balboa. * "Come November, you're mine" - Apollo Creed to Rocky Balboa. * "What do you need an interpreter? IT'S TIME TO GO SCHOOL" - Apollo Creed to Ivan Drago. * "Remember Eye of the tiger, Rock. Eye of the tiger" - Apollo Creed to Rocky Balboa. * "THERE IS NO TOMORROW!" - Apollo Creed to Rocky Balboa. * "Ding-Ding" - Apollo Creed to Rocky Balboa. * "Don't stop the fight, no matter WHAT!" - Apollo Creed to Rocky Balboa. Trivia * During his audition, Carl Weathers was sparring with Sylvester Stallone and accidentally punched him on the chin. Stallone told Weathers to calm down, as it was only an audition, and Weathers said that if he was allowed to audition with a 'real' actor, not a stand-in, he would be able to do a lot better. Director John G. Avildsen smiled and told Weathers that Stallone was the real actor (and the writer). Weathers looked at Stallone thoughtfully for a moment, and said, "Well, maybe he'll get better." Stallone immediately offered him the role. * In Rocky II, after the bell rings, signalling the end of the second round, Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers are seen pushing, shoving, taunting, and ultimately being pulled apart by their respective cornermen. They continue to taunt each other before returning to their corners. Stallone revealed later they were actually angry with each other and were not acting at that point, several blows that were supposed to miss him landed and the carefully choreographed fight, which they spent months meticulously planning out, went off-track during that scene, but he liked the reaction the scene produced. He decided to leave their momentary breaking of character in and the viewing audience never realised the two actors were in reality quite livid with each other. * Rocky III (1982) is Carl Weathers' favorite film in the Rocky saga because he thinks Apollo Creed is humanised so well in it. * In Rocky IV, according to Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren and Carl Weathers really did not get along and got into an altercation during filming. Lundgren threw Weathers across the ring before it was broken up. Carl Weathers nearly quit the film when Dolph Lundgren tossed Weathers into the corner of the boxing ring. Weathers shouted profanities at Lundgren while leaving the ring and announcing that he was calling his agent and quitting the movie. Only after Sylvester Stallone forced the two actors to reconcile did the movie continue. This event caused a four-day work stoppage while Weathers was talked back into the part and Lundgren agreed to tone down his aggressiveness.Category:Boxers Category:Heroes Category:Characters Category:Deceased Category:Killed Category:Rocky characters Category:Rocky II characters Category:Rocky III characters Category:Rocky IV characters Category:Justice Enforcer characters Category:Rocky Legends characters Category:World champions Category:Rocky (video game) characters Category:Rocky Balboa (video game) characters Category:Males